Burnt Cherries
by LumenLupus
Summary: Sadstuck, Post Sburb/Sgrub. Once you have something, you never want to let go. Sometimes life wrenches it from your grasp, and you're left sobbing.


Terezi woke to the sound of squawkbeasts chirping outside her Hive, and climbed groggily out of her recuperacoon. It had been a sweep since the game ended. No more crazy adventures, no more alchemizing stuff at will, no more Seer of Mind powers. Worst of all, no more Dave.  
The humans had gone back to their planet. Some days, Terezi wondered whether they had truly created Earth or whether it was just another of SGRUB's lies.

She was preparing to become a Legislacerator, which distracted her most of the time. She didn't see many of the others. They weren't Grubs anymore. They'd all grown up. Somehow they'd all got out of the game alive, but not without some scars. The humans were worse off. Dave was bleeding heavily as they said goodbye, not that it mattered, he was still in his God Tier. He would've healed….wouldn't he? She sighed. Studying was hard when you were melancholy. Terezi turned to her scalemates, and dove into the pile. She chewed thoughtfully on her red chalk.  
Red.  
Now it tasted like Ash, grey as her own skin. Her grin no longer reached her ears, and her laugh was forced.  
She missed him.  
Dave.  
The name tasted sweet on her tongue, yet it was always followed by the bitter taste of melancholy. She could never quite shake it.  
She decided that sleep would be the best way to solve her bought of melancholy, so she fell asleep in her pile of scalemates, unconsciously chewing on the red chalk.

Meanwhile, in a galaxy somewhere, a young man sat on the edge of his roof. He let the breeze drift across his face. Behind his shades, his sight was blurred by tears. He was alone in the world. Bro had died, it seemed so long ago now. The game had taken so many things, although admittedly it had given him something. In the end though, even the things the game gave him were taken away in the end.  
He didn't even have Terezi anymore.  
He looked down at the long drop from the top of the apartment block. He laughed. Suicide was stupid. He'd never do it. Striders didn't do suicide. Not even ironically.  
He spits raps into the hot air, letting them fall to the streets below, but they jump and stutter like a scratched record. He's broken, just like the Vinyl on his Shirt.  
He takes off his shades, and tears fall. Yet he still hopes. He hopes that out there, somewhere, Terezi is looking for him. He's going to do the same.

In Alternia Terezi wakes up, and rushes to her studies to ward away the feeling of crushing melancholy before it gnaws at her heart again.  
In Houston, Earth Dave looks down at the ground, and puts his shades back on. He hopes that if he drowns out the colour he won't be reminded of her.  
A month passes.  
Terezi became a Legislacerator, and waved goodbye to Alternia. She slept most of the time, and worked the other half. If she stopped, she knew that she'd break down. She hopes though. She hopes her ship will come to a strange planet named Earth, and she'll meet her Knight again, because Time has separated them for too long.

Dave sleeps little, and never takes off his Shades. John, Rose and Jade all tried to contact him. He keeps Pesterchum open, but doesn't reply. He began researching space travel, but that's not his realm. It's Jade's, and he really doesn't want to talk to her for a while. He's not sure why, he just doesn't. He works as a DJ for most of the time. He has to live after all. He wishes with all his heart that his Seer would turn up one day, in a strange alien craft, because he's losing his Mind.

Dave walks to his next gig. He plays for the night, and people dance. He looks at them through his shades, and he feels something that he hasn't felt in a while. Envy. Not Jealousy, just Envy. He wants what they have: a companion to dance and laugh with them. The night ends, some punk picks a fight with him. He ignores him and walks right past him. He doesn't have the energy to fight anymore, it's just a shame he knows little else. Striders were born as Princes and Knights.

Terezi hears about her friends, Kanaya gossips to her about all the latest Kismisetudes and Matespritships. Tavros and Vriska finally worked out their Matespritship, Nepeta is still chasing Karkat. She doesn't care though. Her matesprit is galaxies away, and she doesn't want to feel again 'till she finds him. She drifts from her friends, and curls up at night. Karkat tries to reach out to her again. She pushes him away. The spark they had died a while back, and she hasn't any room left in her heart for anyone else.

One night, they both break. It's painful.  
Dave's sunglasses finally break, and he screams, as if the colours burn his retina.  
Terezi finally can't take anymore, and cries. Her turquoise tears spill from Red eyes. She screams, as if the tears burn her skin.  
They scream, but no one hears.


End file.
